“What would you do in case of a medical emergency?”
This question is usually the third one to be asked after “ what ever do you do for nine months in the middle of nowhere” and “ how do you get food”.
Our ties to the outside world all depend upon that satellite dish nailed to a tree on the far end of the beach. We use Skype for making phone calls and it works pretty consistently as long as the weather is good. In the case of an emergency , need to get to a hospital right away type of emergency, we would call for a helicopter from Masset. These helicopters can fly in almost all types of weather but only during daylight hours. The trip from Masset would take about 30 minutes. There are new hospital facilities in Masset which Mike was quite impressed with when he had the opportunity to see them first hand during his impromptu visit last month.
That sounds fine but “what if” you need help and the weather is bad and you can't phone, what than? This had been on our minds quite a bit until “Spot” arrived.
Spot II is a personal GPS messenger that is the size of a cell phone and offers several features that would come in handy in a variety of situations.
Pushing the SOS button, emergency responders closest to our GPS location will be notified. We can also send out a “Help request” from friends or family, a simply “check-in/OK” or a custom message. For an added fee the “Tracking Progress” feature allows you to follow in real time on Google maps a person's trail.
For Mike and I we can now hike through the woods or take the boat out and always feel safe if something should go wrong. Likewise if something should happen to our dish here, say maybe like a bear ripping down the box that houses the receiver which did in fact happen (no damage done, miraculously) than we would a least be able to send our weekly we're OK check-in. It was a great Christmas gift and something we can always carry take with us on any of our journeys. http://www.findmespot.com/
The name Spot also brings to mind a dog. Having a dog here would be a joy but alas we only have cats. Good thing though is that Ingram thinks she's a dog. She and Brockzilla live in the basement but whenever either of us goes outside all we have to say is “come on cat” or “here kitty kitty” and if she isn't already sitting at the door waiting for us she is sure to be there in a sec. Along the beach, through the woods or up the hill she's never far behind. On days when we haven't spent time outdoors and it's not raining or too cold you'll find her settled on the mat right outside the sliding patio door, she switches from front to back just to make sure you see her. You'll get the evil eye if you don't at least pat her every now and than and if you choose to ignore her a steady MEOW will get her message across.
Odd picture.
What is it? Forty-four pounds of butter....fat. This represents the combined amount of weight that Mike and I are going to lose. Think positive.
Last week I stated that we don't make new years resolutions and we don't, this is more of a ritual. Every January we make the commitment to drop a few pounds. This year we have an added incentive. Other than it's healthy, we are visiting family and friends this summer whom we haven't see for almost 5 years. Vanity is a powerful motivator. For the next few months you won't be seeing any pictures of cookies and cakes, apple crisps or strawberry rhubarb cobblers. Internet searches for new and tantalizing (?) recipes will now begin with chicken or fish. I'm afraid I won't be visiting some of my favourite food sites such as “Bakerella”, “i am baker” and “baking bites” as often. Does anyone blog about fish?
Till next week,
Heather & Mike
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